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Why do we love Siouxsie?
The Queen of Punk. The Princess of Goth. The Ice Queen of Punk. The Queen Mother of Goth.
Siouxsie Sioux has been called all of these things at one time or another, despite her aversion to labels. Born Susan Janet Dallion on May 27, 1957 in London, England, Sioux was a self-described "disenchanted girl from the suburbs". Her desire to escape the suburban mediocrity from whence she was raised coupled with her exposure to eccentric and artistic types from her older sister's art college proved to be potent catalysts in guiding Sioux's venture towards the burgeoning underground music scene which would eventually be known as punk.
Shortly thereafter, circa 1976, the outspoken Sioux began dressing in wild and outrageous apparel. Her provocative garb (eyes painted like Malcom McDowell in A Clockwork Orange and half-clothed body adorned with regalia such as swastikas and crucifixes, for instance) courted controversy as well, but was often misunderstood. Sioux explained that she was fascinated by and "attracted to strong iconography". Through a confluence of events including her appearance at the 100 Club Punk Festival singing an elongated version of the "Lord's Prayer", her association with the notorious Bromley Contingent, and her infamous presence on the Today show in which she verbally sparred with then-host Bill Grundy, she and her band were thrust onto the stage—both literal and proverbial alike—of the punk music scene. She coined the sobriquet Siouxsie Sioux and the remainder of her band called themselves The Banshees. A record deal with Polydor followed and the band's first single, "Hong Kong Garden", reached the U.K. Top Ten (highest position: #7).
Around the time that punk's first epoch began to fade in the late-'70s/early-'80s, at least that particular incarnation, Siouxsie & the Banshees continued as a presence in the music industry. The eerie, urban, and dark quality of early Banshees albums struck a chord among the alienated and macabre sub-sect of punk, soon to be termed "goths". Sioux embodied a dark and seductive figure (an almost "vampiric dominatrix"), with a jittery wail that teeters on the edge of insanity and beauty in the same breath, that further cemented this magnetic and enigmatic appeal. Hence, Sioux was reborn into a Goth Goddess. As goth descended from punk, Sioux was an influential figure in the emergence of both, and thus, achieved icon status among the two sub-cultures. Moreover, she was a rare female pioneer in both music scenes. However, Sioux's longevity stems from the fact that she has remained oblivious to all the hype and labels pinned on the band. "These terminologies ... When we first started, we were called Punk or Goth or New Wave. After [hearing] all that, I went blah."
Siouxsie & the Banshees evolved as a band throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with varying degrees of successes and valleys, both critical and commercial. Two commercial high-points in their career came in the early-90s as they toured the inagural Lollapalooza music festival in 1991, and in 1992 when director Tim Burton asked them to supply sonics for the Batman Returns soundtrack. The latter produced one of their biggest U.S. singles, "Face to Face", landing them in the Top 40. It was a labor of love for Sioux who has a strong affinity for Catwoman and "obsession for all things feline". Sioux, herself, experienced personal success as she married long-time Banshee and drummer, Peter Clark (a.k.a. Budgie), in 1991. Siouxsie and her Banshees disbanded in 1996, but Sioux and Clark continue to make music as The Creatures. After a music career spanning 26 years and three decades, Sioux's impact has left an indelible mark. In the years enusing her emergence up until the present day, she has been an influence for many a young chanteuse - and even a few gents.
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Biography:
Born - May 27, 1957
London, England
Achievements (as Siouxsie & the Banshees):
- 1978 - First single, "Hong Kong Garden", reaches #7 on U.K. charts for 10 weeks
- 1983 - Beatle's cover, "Dear Prudence", reaches #3 on U.K. charts for 8 weeks
- 1988 - "Peek-A-Boo" reaches #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks charts
- 1988 - "The Killing Jar" reaches #2 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks charts
- 1991 - "Kiss Them For Me" reaches #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks charts
- 1991 - "Kiss Them For Me" reaches #8 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts
- 1991 - Siouxsie &' the Banshees part of the line-up for the first Lollapalooza music festival
- 1992 - "Face To Face" reaches #7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks charts
- 1992 - "Fear (Of The Unknown)" reaches #6 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts
- 1999 - Siouxsie Sioux named as one of the "100 Greatest Women in Rock" by VH-1 (ranked #96)
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